The Old "What's All This BLANK Stuff, Anyhow" Series by Bob Pease

Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently in 
Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
these old chestnuts from Bob.

http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
-- 
Randy Yates                      % "Though you ride on the wheels of tomorrow,
Digital Signal Labs              %  you still wander the fields of your
mailto://yates@ieee.org          %  sorrow."
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com % '21st Century Man', *Time*, ELO

On Jun 13, 9:42=A0pm, Randy Yates <ya...@ieee.org> wrote:
> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently in
> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>
> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
> --
> Randy Yates =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0% "Though you ride=
 on the wheels of tomorrow,
> Digital Signal Labs =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0% =A0you still wander the =
fields of your
> mailto://ya...@ieee.org =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0% =A0sorrow."http://www.digita=
lsignallabs.com% '21st Century Man', *Time*, ELO

Thanks Randy, for that link - there is some great wisdom in there. I
recall a receiver project about 10 years ago where the receiver's guts
were placed inside of a large block of milled out aluminium. There was
strong cross talk between parts of the circuit which upon
investigation turned out to be a "listening gallery" problem inside of
the cavity. While the cavity kept external noise away from the
circuits, it focused noise made in one area to another. We ended up
adding a layer of absorptive foam in the cavity and that cleaned up
the crosstalk. Jim Williams in his appnotes has a great deal of wisdom
to offer for designing analog circuits that operate cleanly.

Clay

On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently in
> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>
> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html

I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging 
through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started 
thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this 
'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"

Stories about analog design -- very interesting.

Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.

Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.

Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it 
running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.

Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal 
native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I 
ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I 
wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly 
as possible).

-- 
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.now> wrote in 
news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:

> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently in
>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>>
>> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
> 
> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging 
> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started 
> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this 
> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
> 
> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
> 
> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
> 
> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
> 
> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it 
> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
> 
> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal 
> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I 
> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I 
> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly 
> as possible).
> 

I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.

I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way more good 
will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were upset 
to see him go.

Al Clark
www.danvillesignal.com

>Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.now> wrote in 
>news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:
>
>> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
>>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently
in
>>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
>>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
>>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>>>
>>> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
>> 
>> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging 
>> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started 
>> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this 
>> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
>> 
>> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
>> 
>> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
>> 
>> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
>> 
>> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it

>> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
>> 
>> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal 
>> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I 
>> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I 
>> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly

>> as possible).
>> 
>
>I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.
>
>I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way more
good 
>will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were
upset 
>to see him go.
>
>Al Clark
>www.danvillesignal.com

Various studies conclude that someone being laid off has more to do with
who they have annoyed than their value to the organisation. Since people
who actually get off their butts and do something will probably have
annoying folk along the way, an organisation has a tendency to lay off its
most value people.

Steve

On 06/14/2010 05:36 PM, steveu wrote:
>> Tim Wescott<tim@seemywebsite.now>  wrote in
>> news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:
>>
>>> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
>>>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently
> in
>>>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
>>>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
>>>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
>>>
>>> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging
>>> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started
>>> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this
>>> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
>>>
>>> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it
>
>>> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
>>>
>>> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal
>>> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I
>>> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I
>>> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly
>
>>> as possible).
>>>
>>
>> I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.
>>
>> I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way more
> good
>> will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were
> upset
>> to see him go.
>>
>> Al Clark
>> www.danvillesignal.com
>
> Various studies conclude that someone being laid off has more to do with
> who they have annoyed than their value to the organisation. Since people
> who actually get off their butts and do something will probably have
> annoying folk along the way, an organisation has a tendency to lay off its
> most value people.
>
> Steve
>
Which is yet another reason why big companies are where Innovation Goes 
to Die.

-- 
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

On 06/14/2010 03:20 PM, Al Clark wrote:
> Tim Wescott<tim@seemywebsite.now>  wrote in
> news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:
>
>> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
>>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently in
>>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
>>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
>>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>>>
>>> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
>>
>> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging
>> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started
>> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this
>> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
>>
>> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
>>
>> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
>>
>> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
>>
>> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it
>> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
>>
>> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal
>> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I
>> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I
>> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly
>> as possible).
>>
>
> I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.
>
> I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way more good
> will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were upset
> to see him go.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if he were a great guy -- I doubt very 
much that _I_ could come up with an interesting article the like of 
Pease Porridge every month.

But even if I can't do it, I can still critique it!

-- 
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

On 06/14/2010 05:36 PM, steveu wrote:
>> Tim Wescott<tim@seemywebsite.now>  wrote in
>> news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:
>>
>>> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
>>>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently
> in
>>>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonight
>>>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
>>>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
>>>
>>> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging
>>> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started
>>> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this
>>> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
>>>
>>> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
>>>
>>> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep it
>
>>> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
>>>
>>> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal
>>> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc.  I don't know if I
>>> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I
>>> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickly
>
>>> as possible).
>>>
>>
>> I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.
>>
>> I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way more
> good
>> will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were
> upset
>> to see him go.
>>
>> Al Clark
>> www.danvillesignal.com
>
> Various studies conclude that someone being laid off has more to do with
> who they have annoyed than their value to the organisation. Since people
> who actually get off their butts and do something will probably have
> annoying folk along the way, an organisation has a tendency to lay off its
> most value people.

I think there are a lot of executive types who don't run things to 
maximize profits -- they run things to maximize the image they have in 
their heads of a certain organ they possess (and I'm not talking about 
their brains).

Getting to lay off people who irritate you -- or worse, who make you 
look small -- is a lot more valuable than money, if that's your mind set.

Note: there's a lot that aren't that way, and it's a good thing.  But...

-- 
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

> doubt very much that _I_ could come up with an interesting article the like of 
> Pease Porridge every month.
> But even if I can't do it, I can still critique it!

Victim of his success. For the original 12 article
series in EDN 1989 ( roughly covers the Troubleshooting
book ) they got so much reader response that together
with his answers they made another article out of it
in 1990 and both EDN and National were keen on pressing
on. Despite Pease already telling them then he needed
to go slow to keep up quality. But writing as an employee
of National saying no was probably not possible.

MfG  JRD

On Jun 14, 9:56=A0pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.now> wrote:
> On 06/14/2010 03:20 PM, Al Clark wrote:
>
>
>
> > Tim Wescott<t...@seemywebsite.now> =A0wrote in
> >news:MZOdnTlMb9jXyYvRnZ2dnUVZ_uSdnZ2d@web-ster.com:
>
> >> On 06/13/2010 06:42 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
> >>> Does anyone remember these? I used to love reading these, apparently =
in
> >>> Electronic Products, way back when. I find one on the web just tonigh=
t
> >>> and thought I'd share it in case anyone had similar warm feelings for
> >>> these old chestnuts from Bob.
>
> >>>http://www.national.com/rap/Story/0,1562,18,00.html
>
> >> I liked that shtick at the beginning, but when then he started digging
> >> through the nice rich compost and into the fresh manure, and I started
> >> thinking someone need to write a critique titled "What's all this
> >> 'What's all this Stuff' Stuff, Anyway?"
>
> >> Stories about analog design -- very interesting.
>
> >> Stories about life as an app engineer -- interesting.
>
> >> Stories about engineers vs. management (if he did any) -- interesting.
>
> >> Stories about his stupid Volkswagen bug, and how clever he is to keep =
it
> >> running -- heard em' all from better raconteurs, boring as hell.
>
> >> Ditto on brags about climbing in the Himalayas with his own personal
> >> native guide, stories about near-retirement, etc. =A0I don't know if I
> >> ever saw one with details of his lower intestinal function, but I
> >> wouldn't have been surprised (I just would have forgotten it as quickl=
y
> >> as possible).
>
> > I have met Bob Pease. He is a very pleasant man.
>
> > I think that National Semi were idiots laying him off. They got way mor=
e good
> > will than his salary expense and probably lost a few customers who were=
 upset
> > to see him go.
>
> I wouldn't be at all surprised if he were a great guy -- I doubt very
> much that _I_ could come up with an interesting article the like of
> Pease Porridge every month.
>
> But even if I can't do it, I can still critique it!

Perhaps, but are you any better at critiques than you would be writing
an article?  A restaurant reviewer doesn't just go into a restaurant
and write what he liked and didn't like.  He considers the broader
spectrum of who might dine at a given restaurant and what is
expected.  I think that Bob Pease is at least a 4 star writer for what
he does and who reads him.  His personal life stories can be
significant to me even if they just give me a point of comparison to
my own.  He deals honestly with his motivations and reading about his
helps me understand mine.

Rick